murdock



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. G. P. MURDOOK.

PIPE COUPLER.

No. 412,198. Patented Oct. 1, 1889.

WITNESSES UVVEJVTOR u wanna Pholn-Ulhognpher. Waihl'ngton, n c.

3 Sheets-Sheet 21 (-No Model.)

0. F. MURDOUK.

PIPE COUPLER.

[WVE/VTOR WITNESSES N PEIERS mm-um m mr. Wuhinglcl 01c (NoModeL) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3. O. F. MURDOOK.

PIPE COUPLER.

No. 412,198. Patented Oct. 1, 1889.

WITNESSES v [WYEJVTOR M t M (2 W UNITED STATES Arnvr FFIQE.

CHARLES F. MURDOOK, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE AUTO- MATIC GAR COUPLER HEATING COMPANY, OF SAVE PLACE.

PlPE-COU PLER.

' SPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 412,198, dated October I, 1889.

Application filed May 1, 1889. Serial No. 309,301. (No model.)

To (Z5 whom it may concern: to the face of the arm and along the same Be it known that I, CHARLES l MURDOCK, until its outer edge comes in line with the acitizen of the United States, and a resident of beveled side of the recess .l. Detroit,.in the county of \Vayne and Stateof Upon each side of the coupler are trun- 55 Michigan, have invented new and useful Imnions or journals M, and upon one of those provemcnts in Couplers; and I do declare the trunnions is a friction-roller N. following to be a full, clear, and exact de- Each section of the coupler is provided with scription of the invention, such as will enable a recess (marked a) of sufficient size to admit others skilled in the art to which it appertains and firmly hold a rubber ring, (marked 60 IO to make and use the same, reference being Figs. 3 and 5 represent opcrating-handles. had to the accompanying drawings, and to On the inside of each of these handles are letters or figures of reference marked thereon, flexible metallic levers, (marked, respectwhich form a part of this specification. ively, R and S,) the upper ends of which This invention relates to couplers especially are threaded to receive a nut U. Immedi- 65 I5 designed forconnecting pipes or hose between atclybelow the threaded portions they are railway-cars for steam, water, or air; and it curved outward, and the lower end of the leconsists in the novel construction and ar- 'ver R is eye-shaped, as shown at V, to clasp rangement of devices hereinafter specified and work freely upon a trunnion M. The and claimed. lower end of lever S has acircular depres- 70 2c In the drawings acoom m-nying this specifision, (marked Vin) to fit over and work upon cation, Figure 1 represents a side view of my a friction-roller arranged around or over a coupler on duty. Fig. 2 is a representation trunnion M, as shown at N on the drawings. of a side view with the parts detached and I usuallyarrange a ferrule orhand (marked the handle broken away. Fig. 3 is a longi- X) on the lower part of my handle around 75 tudinal section of coupler on duty. Fig. 4 the levers R and S; but I sometimes prefer is a detail showing in section recesses for to form handles of one piece of metal and coupling arms or hooks, and Fig. 5 is a sec dispense with said band. The entire handle tional view of a handle inclosing operatingmay also'be formed of one solid piece with lovers in position upon the trunnions and spring-arm projections, and thereby dispense 80 stops. with the ferrule'nut and screw-threads.

My coupler is formed in two sections, pref- Each section of my coupler is a duplicate erably of malleable iron, and with suitable 0f the other, to the end that one half of any ribs, as shown at a, for holding hose, when coupler will couple with any other half of the desired. On the top of each section I form a same size. I have marked these sections 6 8 lug, (marked D,) to aid the projecting arm E and 7, respectively.

in guiding the sections together for coupling The letter Y represents a stud or stop arand holding them in position. On the lootranged on the face of the coupler, the functom is shown the face side of the projecting tions of which will hereinafter be fully shown. arm E, above mentioned, arranged slightly at In operation it will be seen, if the handle 5 9 one side of the body. At the outer side of is moved back toward the handle 3, that the this arnnand projecting at right angles from lever B will rotate upon the trunnion M, its face,I form acylindrical extcnsion,(marked which will become the fulcrum to force the 1,) and its inner end is recessed, as shown at lever S outward and upward until the fric- J to receive the extension I on the corretion-roller has passed out of the depression 95 sponding arm and give it longitudinal play IV, and from that point the flexibility of the sufficient to admit of wear and permit the lever will throw the handle back until it two parts of the coupler to come freely and comes in contact with the hose and lies nearly squarely together. The outer end of the reparallel with the body of the coupler, and cess is beveled from the back toward the end, thereby uncouplin is effected. \Vhen coup- I00 as shown at K. On the inner side of eXtenling is desired, if part '7 be taken in the sion I is arih L, extending from its outer end right hand, with the part (3 in the left, and

their faces brought nearly together and slightly elevated, so as to allow the arms E to interlock with each other and at the same time bring the lugs D into proper position, so

that the two parts of the body will be in line and then dropped, the weight of all. of the parts will act upon arms E and bring theirfaces squarely together and then hold them in position as if coupled up, leaving the hands free to operate the handles, and although the arms are so constructed as to do this, if the parts are sufficiently drawn upon by the hose, they are sure to be completely separated, as above stated.

It will be observed that when the sections of my coupling are united the trunnions M and M are arranged on an angle of about forty-five degrees with each other, and that the stop-pin Y is on a line substantially parallel with M and directly above M. The three bearings therefore form a triangle having its base in either two of said bearings. arrangement a longitudinal draft on the pipe or hose serves to release the spring-lever S fromits bearing M and automatically disunite the sections. This draft is given by a car to which the pipe orhose is attached when said car becomes uncoupled from its fellow either by design or accident, and it is never sufficient to injure either the pipe or coupling. The pressure employed in pipes or hose for car-heating is from five to forty pounds per square inch. It follows that the flexible force exerted by the spring-arm S on its trunnion should be sufiicient to resist said heating pressure and hold the meeting faces of the coupler tightly and securely together. I find by experiment that a force of from fifty to sixty pounds on the spring-arm of lever S is sufficient for this purpose.

By this indicates a stop-pin arranged'on the outer The coupling above described is partly shown in my application No. 299,387, filed February 1, 1889, and also in my application No. 315,436, filed May 1, 1889.

Having described my invention,whatl claim 1. The trunnions M and M,arranged in such manner that when on duty they shall stand at an angle of about forty-five degrees with each other, in combination with levers R and S and stop-pin Y, the latter being so arranged with reference to the trunnions that the three shall form a triangle having its base in either two of said bearings, substantially as specified.

2. The combinationavith the coupling-heads carrying a lug or stud, of the locking-levers hinged or pivoted to said heads, the levers each carrying a yielding branch adapted to engage a stud or trunnion on the opposite I longitudinal draft on the hose, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof Iaflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES F. MUBDOGK.

.In presence of THOMAS T. LEETE, J12, J os. L. HARRINGTON. 

